Prohibited area calls tonight in an area devastated by hurricane Irma, a year ago. Marc de La Villardière's team followed for six months the inhabitants of Saint-Barth.

Marc de La Villardière, son of the famous animator, is the author of the report Saint-Barth after the hurricane , broadcast tonight on M6 in Forbidden Zone . He immersed himself for six months in the daily life of the inhabitants of this Caribbean island, who are doing their utmost to rebuild their paradise, hit by Irma last year.

Three weeks after President Macron's trip to Saint-Martin, one year after hurricane Irma, M6 and Zone interdite are interested in reconstruction work on the neighboring island of Saint-Barthélemy. "We shot six months, from September 2017, three weeks after the cyclone, at the end of March 2018, explains Marc de La Villardière, the author of the documentary. It was impressive, as if there had been a huge fire, there was no vegetation at all. I had already done a report on the island six months before, the contrast was striking.

Residents try to revive their activity

On the spot, the journalist and his teams followed several inhabitants who try to revive their activity and to film places of reconstruction, in particular the hotel Manapany, high place of the luxury tourism in Saint-Barth, completely devastated. The viewer is witnessing the uncertain progress of the work and is left with the suspense of the bet to open the establishment before the new tourist season. "We were surprised, testifies Marc de La Villardière, but they believed. Three days before the reopening date, the yard swarmed with a hundred workers and they finally succeeded. Everything was not completely finished, only 70 or 75% rooms were available, but they opened on March 13th. "

Solidarity of the victims

On site, the Forbidden Zone team also accompanied more modest inhabitants. "We have stakeholders from all walks of life. We wanted it to be like the island, with descendants of colonists, metropolitans who arrived twenty or thirty years earlier, wealthy vacationers, mostly Americans ... "

We are therefore acquainted with the friendly and dynamic Dom, 35 years old, who courageously set up his jet-ski rental business. And also "mother turtle", a 76-year-old metropolitan with surprising vitality. She is seen helping the firefighters repair the roof of his house. The one whose property is a haven for turtles shows the camera one of its protected explaining: "After Irma, I saw her shake for two days. I've never seen that ".

But above all, she is delighted that there were no victims on the island: "People used to stick to the pipes at home, otherwise they would fly away. We had the great chance that there was no death.

Prohibited area , this Sunday, October 21 at 21 hours on M6